Defence Minister Anand concludes visit to Madrid, Spain, for the NATO Summit

News release

June 30, 2022 – Madrid, Spain – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Today, Defence Minister Anand concluded a productive visit to Madrid, Spain, where she participated in meetings with counterparts and joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit.

On June 28, Minister Anand participated in the High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change and Security, as part of the NATO Public Forum, held alongside the NATO Summit. During the panel, the Minister discussed the impacts of climate change on defence and security, and confirmed Canada will host a NATO Climate and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) in Montreal, Quebec. The CCASCOE will help Canada, NATO Allies, and global partners better understand, adapt to, and limit the impacts of climate change on security. With Montreal’s rich network of research, business, government institutions, and international organizations working on climate change and security issues, Canada will work to make this Centre of Excellence a hub of climate change and security solutions.

Canada remains committed to providing Ukraine with comprehensive military aid. At the Summit today, Minister Anand joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where he announced that Canada will donate six additional Ontario-made drone cameras from L3 Wescam and confirmed that Canada is in the process of finalizing negotiations to supply Ukraine with up to 39 armoured combat support vehicles (ACSVs), which will include elements for repairs and servicing. This will complete the allocation of $500 million in military support for Ukraine announced in Budget 2022.

In the context of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, the evolving security situation along NATO’s Eastern Flank calls for a longer-term adaptation strategy, and Canada continues to strengthen its contributions to NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. To this end, Minister Anand signed a joint declaration with Latvian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Dr. Artis Pabriks, which contains a number of new commitments that will augment NATO’s multinational enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Latvia Battle Group, which Canada has led since 2017.

On June 29 and 30, Minister Anand joined Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, for meetings with Allied leaders and Foreign and Defence ministers, as well Leaders and Ministers from Australia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden. They also met with NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, and both Ministers Anand and Joly met with their counterparts from Iceland. In addition, Minister Anand attended an informal working dinner with NATO Ministers of Defence and the Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Institución Ferial de Madrid.

On the margins of the Summit, Minister Anand held a trilateral meeting with her counterparts from Estonia and the United Kingdom where they discussed NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). DIANA will comprise a network of innovation hubs, with technology accelerator sites and test centres across Europe and North America. As previously announced, the U.K. will partner with Estonia to host the European Regional Office, and as announced by the Prime Minister today, Canada intends to host NATO’s North American Regional Office.

Quotes

“Canada’s commitment to the NATO Alliance is unbreakable, and our contributions are significant. We are continuing to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, and we stand ready to defend every inch of NATO territory. In the face of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, we are working closely with Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the comprehensive military aid that it needs to fight and win this war. It is clear that NATO is stronger and more unified than ever before, and we will continue to step up and stand together against actors that threaten our individual and collective security to protect Canadians and defend the rules-based international order.”

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence

Quick facts

Canada’s defence spending in real dollar terms ranks sixth in NATO.
Canada is currently contributing to the following NATO operations, missions, and activities:
- NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe through Operation REASSURANCE, which includes:
  - leading NATO’s multinational enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group Latvia, as Framework Nation, since 2017;
  - providing a General Officer and staff to Multinational Division Headquarters – North in Latvia;
  - deploying CF-18 fighter aircraft to conduct surveillance and air policing activities in Europe. The next deployment will be in summer 2022;
  - providing two Halifax-class frigates to the Standing NATO Maritime Groups, currently HMCS Halifax and HMCS Montreal, which will return to Canada in July 2022;
  - providing two Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels to Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1, which will be joining NATO in July 2022; and
  - providing a CP-140 Aurora aircraft from February to July 2022.
- NATO Mission Iraq’s training and capacity building efforts in under Operation IMPACT; and
- NATO’s Kosovo Force.
Approximately 1,400 Canadian Armed Forces Members are currently deployed in support of Operation REASSURANCE, making it Canada’s largest international military operation, with approximately 700 CAF personnel currently serving in Latvia.
In February 2022, the Government of Canada announced the expansion of Operation REASSURANCE. In March 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to renewing Canada’s multi-year commitment to Operation REASSURANCE. This expansion and extension will allow the CAF to further support NATO’s assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe.
Canada has also placed 3,400 Canadian Armed Forces personnel across all branches of the service at a higher state of readiness to deploy to the NATO Response Force should these forces be requested by NATO.
Canada is also providing two CC-130 Hercules aircraft, operating out of the United Kingdom, to support Allies’ bilateral donations to Ukraine.
Budget 2022 earmarked more than $8 billion in new funding over five years, which included an additional $500 million investment in military aid for Ukraine.
At the 2021 NATO Summit, Prime Minister Trudeau announced Canada’s offer to establish and host a NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence. Since then, and together with NATO and our Allies, Canada has made significant progress towards this goal. In May 2022, the NATO Military Committee officially accepted Canada’s offer to host this centre of excellence. At the 2022 NATO Summit, Canada confirmed that Montreal, Quebec, will be the host city.

Associated links

Contacts

Sabrina Kim
Director of Communications and Issues Management
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Phone: 819-665-1563
Email: Sabrina.Kim@forces.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca

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Date modified:: 2022-06-30

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